United Church of Christ & homosexuality

The UCCA TV ad that was "too controversial"

The United Church of Christ prepared a TV ad which was
tested in six markets during the spring of 2004, for broadcast between
2004-DEC-01 and 26. It contained the message that God created all humanity,
that there should be no outsiders, and that the UCC attempts to be inclusive
in a country where some minorities have been systematically excluded. The ad
showed two bouncers at the doors of a church rejecting people who wanted to
enter. They appeared to refuse entry to persons on the basis of their race
or sexual orientation.

According to UCC News Service:

"...text interrupts the scene,
announcing, 'Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we.' A narrator then
proclaims the United Church of Christ's commitment to Jesus' extravagant
welcome: 'No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are
welcome here'."

CBS refused to run the ad because it implies that gay and lesbian couples
should be accepted as worthy to attend church. This made the ad too
controversial. NBC also rejected the ad because its theme of inclusiveness
was too controversial. ABC Family, AMC, BET, Discovery, Fox, Hallmark,
History, Nick@Nite, TBS, TNT, Travel, TV Land, and other networks accepted
the ad.

Rev. John Thomas, is the denomination's top official, and the only
president of the UCC who hasn't been invited to the White House. He said:

"It’s
ironic that after a political season awash in commercials based on fear and
deception...an ad with a message of welcome and inclusion would be deemed
too controversial. What’s going on here?" 1

Larry Hollon, who leads the national
advertising effort for The United Methodist Church, wrote in the United
Methodist Reporter:

"The reasons given by the networks for rejecting
this message should bring a chill to everyone who supports freedom of
religious expression because they are saying that a fundamental tenet of
Christian belief is politically unacceptable for the public dialogue. The
belief that God loves every person without condition is so basic to
Christian teaching that if a denomination cannot make this assertion what
can it say? Such decisions shut out the Christian community from the
national conversation....How ironic that a gentle message of inclusion is
considered unacceptable while ads for beer are accepted and programs in
which people eat insects and worms are considered entertaining. In a divided
and fearful world this message is not only needed. It could lead to healing."
1

William Sloane Coffin, former senior minister of The Riverside Church
(UCC/American Baptist) in New York City and a former chaplain at Yale
University wrote:

"Inevitably, in a homophobic society, many people
feel uncomfortable with displays of same-sex affection. But their comfort is
not the issue. At issue is the discomfort of gays and lesbians who for years
have been isolated, silenced, abused, and killed. The image of Matthew
Shepard hanging on a Wyoming fence still burns in many American minds and
hearts. So NBC and CBS were guilty not only of censorship but also of
insensitivity to considerable suffering. No doubt, the networks feared a
right-wing backlash. It is true that such leaders of the Religious Right as
Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Gary Bauer repudiate violent forms of
homophobia. But to deplore the violence, while continuing to proclaim the
ideas that undergird it, strikes thoughtful people as hypocritical. Seeds of
disrespect all too often blossom into hatred and violence." 2

In an article in the UCC's Observer magazine, Davil Wilson wrote:

"By rejecting the bouncer ad, the networks
wound up giving the church more profile than it could have imagined — or
afforded. The longer the dispute dragged on, the more opportunities it
offered the church to demonstrate how it practises [sic] the values the ad
proclaims — to consolidate itself as a brand. Church officials seem almost
sheepish about their stroke of good luck. Some say it was providential. A
mantra echoes through the corridors of the church’s national offices and in
the sanctuaries of its 6,000 congregations: 'This has been an incredible
gift'." 3

Gotham, Inc, produced the bouncer ad for the
UCC at cost. They won the "Addy award" for 2005 in the Consumer
Services/Advocacy category.